| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from An Old Maid by Honore de Balzac: it does investments on the Grand-Livre; it scoffs at fashions and
novelties; reads nothing, prefers ignorance, whether of science,
literature, or industrial inventions. It insists on the removal of a
prefect when that official does not suit it; and if the administration
resists, it isolates him, after the manner of bees who wall up a snail
in wax when it gets into their hive.
In this society gossip is often turned into solemn verdicts. Young
women are seldom seen there; when they come it is to seek approbation
of their conduct,--a consecration of their self-importance. This
supremacy granted to one house is apt to wound the sensibilities of
other natives of the region, who console themselves by adding up the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: money came, in the Edinburgh days, that private theatre which took
up so much of Fleeming's energy and thought. The company - Mr. and
Mrs. R. O. Carter of Colwall, W. B. Hole, Captain Charles Douglas,
Mr. Kunz, Mr. Burnett, Professor Lewis Campbell, Mr. Charles
Baxter, and many more - made a charming society for themselves and
gave pleasure to their audience. Mr. Carter in Sir Toby Belch it
would be hard to beat. Mr. Hole in broad farce, or as the herald
in the TRACHINIAE, showed true stage talent. As for Mrs. Jenkin,
it was for her the rest of us existed and were forgiven; her powers
were an endless spring of pride and pleasure to her husband; he
spent hours hearing and schooling her in private; and when it came
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Travels with a Donkey in the Cevenne by Robert Louis Stevenson: sickened me. Once, when I looked at her, she had a faint
resemblance to a lady of my acquaintance who formerly loaded me
with kindness; and this increased my horror of my cruelty.
To make matters worse, we encountered another donkey, ranging at
will upon the roadside; and this other donkey chanced to be a
gentleman. He and Modestine met nickering for joy, and I had to
separate the pair and beat down their young romance with a renewed
and feverish bastinado. If the other donkey had had the heart of a
male under his hide, he would have fallen upon me tooth and hoof;
and this was a kind of consolation - he was plainly unworthy of
Modestine's affection. But the incident saddened me, as did
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbot: Marriage Chorus goes forth from universal Lineland, the three
far-off Lovers suddenly find themselves in exact harmony, and,
before they are awake, the wedded Triplet is rapt vocally
into a duplicate embrace; and Nature rejoices over one more marriage
and over three more births."
Section 14. How I vainly tried to explain the nature of Flatland
Thinking that it was time to bring down the Monarch from his raptures
to the level of common sense, I determined to endeavour to
open up to him some glimpses of the truth, that is to say
of the nature of things in Flatland. So I began thus:
"How does your Royal Highness distinguish the shapes and positions
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions |
